London, Nov 19: Manchester City condemned Newcastle to its first defeat of the season to maintain its relentless title charge atop the English Premier League while Arsenal's fifth straight victory kept the resurgent London club in touch with the top four.
Mario Balotelli and Sergio Aguero converted penalties and Micah Richards scored the other for City in a 3-1 home win, pushing Roberto Mancini's unbeaten side eight points clear of second-place Manchester United, which visited Swansea late Saturday.
In-form Netherlands striker Robin van Persie grabbed a brace for Arsenal in its 2-1 win at Norwich, moving his league-leading tally of goals to 13 in 12 games.
Wigan remain anchored to the foot of the table after being held to 3-3 by second-to-last Blackburn.
